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Todd Pletcher Joins the TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

Todd Pletcher, this week's Green Group Guest of the Week on the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland, has 12 Breeders' Cup wins, a total that figures to be on the rise next month. Pletcher said he will have at least eight horses running in the Breeders' Cup, a group headed by his dynamic duo of Nest (Curlin) and Malathaat (Curlin) in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff, Life Is Good (Into Mischief) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, Forte (Violence) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, Annapolis (War Front) in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile and Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. Last but certainly not least, Pletcher will send out Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro) in the GI Juvenile Turf and Happy Saver (Super Saver) in the Classic. He said that Lost Ark (Violence) is a possible starter in the Juvenile.

“At this point, it certainly could be,” Pletcher said when asked if this is the best Breeders' Cup lineup he has ever had. “We couldn't be more pleased with the group that we have.”

Pletcher is particularly strong in ths Distaff where he will likely send out the favorite and the second choice. Both Nest and Malathaat will come into the Breeders' Cup off of wins over the weekend. Nest won the GII Beldame S. and Malathaat won the GI Spinster. Who is better? Pletcher said he doesn't know.

“I truly don't know which one is better,” he said. “I think they're both spectacular fillies. They have so much in common, being by Curlin and out of A.P. Indy mares. They have terrific dispositions and are easy to train. The one difference that we know that maybe not everyone else can see is that Malathaat tends to run to her competition a little bit. She knows when she makes the lead and tends to idle when she does. Nest has that unique ability to cruise and then quicken, like we saw in Alabama, the Coaching Club and the other day in Beldame. She's head and head and then, boom, she's five in front. It will be interesting to see how the race unfolds, how much pace is in there. Malathaat will probably be in a position where she has to come after Nest at some point.”

Overshadowed by Flightline (Tapit), Life Is Good is somewhat flying under the radar when it comes to the Classic. That's partially because his Beyer number dipped to a 97 when he won the GI Woodward S.

“The Woodward was the only two-turn race of the day and it was run on a sloppy track that was changing throughout the day,” Pletcher said. “I honestly don't know if the Beyer figure was correct or not. If you look at ThoroGraph or Ragozin he ran much faster than that. He went the final three-eighths in 36 1/5, which is pretty hard to do no matter what the circumstances are. I think that Law Professor (Constitution) ran the best race of his life to be second and it was another 10 lengths back to Keepmeinmind (Laoban). He didn't win by 19 1/4 lengths like Flightline did, and I think that was the comparison everyone was looking for. But we are running back in five weeks so we wanted to be ready to run and ready to win but also be thoughtful that we had five weeks to go to the Classic.”

Pletcher is hoping that Life Is Good gets the kind of fast track in the Classic that he appears to prefer.

“Life is Good's weapon is his speed, his ability to go fast and keep going,” he said. “What I am looking for is to hopefully get him on a track for the first time in a while that is a really fast track, a true glib surface. The entire meet at Aqueduct the track has been very slow. Prior to that, Saratoga was a very deep, demanding track. In Dubai, we caught a really deep, demanding surface. I am hoping at Keeneland we get a speed-favoring track, one that, for the first time in while, will play to his strengths.”

Elsewhere on the show, panelists Randy Moss, Zoe Cadman and Bill Finley voiced their own opinion on the Nest-versus-Malathaat debate. When asked who is the horse to beat, there were two votes for Nest and one for Malathaat. The podcast, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, the KTOB, Lane's End, XBTV, Three Chimneys, West Point Thoroughbreds and Legacy Bloodstock, also included a deep dive into last week's major races and a look ahead at what's in the offing this weekend, including a shout-out to the jumpers who will vie Saturday at Far Hills in the GI Grand National.

Click here to listen to the podcast and click here to watch.

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Gaughan Becomes Independent Chair of Ontario Racing Board of Directors

Andrew Gaughan has been appointed the next Independent Chair of the Ontario Racing Board of Directors. Jamie Martin will be an Executive Consultant to the board.

Gaughan became a manager with Woodbine Entertainment Group (then the Ontario Jockey Club) in 1994, and over the next three decades served in senior leadership positions with WEG, Magna Entertainment Corporation, Scientific Games Corporation (NASDAQ listed), and Sportech PLC a UK based publicly traded (LSE) gaming technology business.

“Andrew is the ideal candidate to step into the role,” said outgoing Independent Chair John Hayes. “Over an accomplished career as a senior executive, including the CEO role at Sportech PLC, he developed the skills that will be required to facilitate collaboration with Ontario Racing's partners and stakeholders and ensure that the industry is well positioned for success in the coming years.”

Over the previous 30-plus years Martin has held leadership positions with Grand River Raceway, Woodbine Entertainment Group, and the Western Fair Association.

“Jamie's experience with both the Standardbred and Thoroughbred breeds, and his relationships with racetrack and other industry partners across the province make him an invaluable asset to the Ontario Racing Board of Directors,” said Ontario Racing Board and Executive Committee Member Katherine Curry. “We look forward to tapping into his wealth of racing knowledge to help the industry achieve its strategic goals.”

Gaughan and Martin begin their roles Nov. 1.

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Offerman Named NYRA VP, GM of Operations

Andrew Offerman, who has served Canterbury Park in Minnesota as its senior vice president of racing operations for the last five years, has been appointed to the newly created role of vice president and general manager of operations for the New York Racing Association (NYRA). Offerman, who will assume his new responsibilities beginning Nov. 11, will oversee front-side operations at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga.

“Andrew is a seasoned executive and proven leader who will bring considerable skills to the talented team we have assembled at NYRA,” said Dave O'Rourke, NYRA President and CEO. “He is a strategic thinker who understands that horse racing is rapidly evolving, and we are pleased to welcome him in this wide-ranging new role.”

During his time at Canterbury Park, Offerman was responsible for many of the track's operational departments, including front-sire racing functions. He first joined the Shakopee track as a seasonal employee in college and was engaged full time from 2010, with increasing responsibility. After becoming Canterbury's top racing executive in 2017, he quickly deployed strategies that drove consistent and sustained increased in wagering handle and the associated revenue.

“NYRA sets the gold standard in our sport, and I am deeply appreciative of this opportunity to help shape the future of the organization,” said Offerman. “My experiences at Canterbury Park have prepared me for this next chapter and I'm thrilled it will be at the finest and most important racing organization in the country. I'd like to thank Canterbury Park and its racing community for their support throughout my tenure.”

He holds advisory and governance positions in a number of horse racing organizations including the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) Advisory Committee; Thoroughbred Racing Associations of North America (TRA); American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Racing Committee, and Vice Chair of the Thoroughbred & Quarter Horse Breeders' Fund Advisory Committees of the Minnesota Racing Commission.

A native of Minneapolis, Offerman earned an M.S. degree from the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program and holds a B.A. from Gustavus Adolphus College.

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HISA Visits Mountaineer During Chronic Vet Shortage at Track

A representative of the Horse Racing Integrity Act's (HISA) Racetrack Safety Team has been on the grounds at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia this past week–at a time when the track is experiencing an ongoing chronic shortage of attending, association and regulatory veterinarians, according to observers.

According to Jami Poole, president of the Mountaineer Horseman's Benevolent and Protective Association (MHBPA), there is often no veterinarian on the facility's grounds during training hours.

“I'm not pleased about the vet situation here in the morning time,” said Poole, who estimated that training is conducted at Mountaineer for about 50% of the time without a veterinarian on the grounds to ensure that any potentially stricken horse is attended to immediately.

Poole declined to answer when asked if the veterinary shortage at Mountaineer has led to any instances of horses' welfare put in jeopardy.

One unnamed source, however–who asked to remain anonymous for fear of professional reprisal–said that the lack of a veterinarian on the grounds during training has led to one instance, which occurred about two months ago, of an injured horse remaining unattended for a prolonged period of time.

“The horse broke down at around 8:30 in the morning,” said the source. The nearest veterinarian was around 30 minutes away, according to two other sources.

According to Lori Bohenko, the West Virginia Racing Commission's (WVRC) regulatory veterinarian at Mountaineer, there have been two fatalities during morning training at Mountaineer this year. The other, Bohenko said, was a sudden death for which she was present on the track.

The veterinary shortage during training, said Poole, has been ongoing since the start of the year. Curiously, neither the WVRC nor HISA requires a racing association like Mountaineer to maintain a veterinarian presence during training hours.

“Many tracks exceed the current HISA regulations to provide veterinary coverage whenever horses are on the racetrack, and HISA strongly encourages the few that do not provide this care to re-examine their practices and do everything possible to ensure veterinary care is available at all times,” wrote HISA director of racetrack safety Ann McGovern in emailed answers to a series of questions.

McGovern added that the HISA Racetrack Safety representative who visited Mountaineer was working with track management “to provide support and help bring Mountaineer into compliance with HISA's Racetrack Safety standards.”

A dearth of veterinarians at Mountaineer raises equine welfare concerns in other ways, according to those on the grounds.

Aside from no association veterinarians at Mountaineer, Poole said that there was only one full-time attending veterinarian for the entire backstretch–what sources estimate to be typically between 400 and 600 horses.

There should, said Poole, be at least two full-time attending veterinarians for the backstretch. “Good if we had four,” he said, adding that a veterinarian from Texas has expressed interest in working at Mountaineer next year. “I hope she doesn't change her mind,” he said.

Furthermore, the lone regulatory veterinarian who conducts pre-race examinations is sometimes late to the facility due to conflicting work commitments, Poole said. This has occasionally led to pre-race examinations being conducted in the paddock, immediately before a race, he said.

“It's happened probably three times,” said Poole, adding that the sheer workload at Mountaineer was too large for just one regulatory veterinarian. “We couldn't do without her, so you've got to work around her schedule, too,” said Poole, about Bohenko.

The WVRC's other regulatory veterinarian for Mountaineer, Jon Day, retired this past May.

Poole said that he has repeatedly alerted the WVRC, Mountaineer track management and HISA to the veterinary shortage at the track.

The WVRC executive director Joe Moore, did not dispute Poole's claims. “The Racing Commission is aware of the shortage of racetrack veterinarians, not only in WV, but across the country,” wrote Moore, highlighting an industry-wide problem hitting smaller tracks like Turf Paradise especially hard.

When asked what steps the WVRC has taken to correct the veterinary shortage at Mountaineer, Moore wrote that the commission has increased the rate of pay for regulatory veterinarians in recent years.

However, when it comes to private attending veterinarians on the backside, they are there “at the request/contract of the Mountaineer Horsemen,” wrote Moore.

When asked about the track's veterinary shortage, Jim Colvin, Mountaineer's director of racing, wrote, “You will have to address the veterinarian questions to Joe Moore from the WV Racing Commission since Mountaineer has no vets that work for us or are employed by us.”

Colvin failed to answer follow-up questions about whether Mountaineer has attempted to hire association veterinarians to assist the commission's regulatory team and to cover holes during training. Colvin also failed to respond to questions about the recent visit by a HISA representative.

When asked the same question, Moore wrote that commission management was not involved with the HISA representative's visit to Mountaineer Park. “I'm certain he spoke with Racing Commission staff while onsite. However, I have no further details about said conversations.”

HISA's McGovern left the door open to the new federal organization stepping in to fill the veterinary holes at Mountaineer.

“Should HISA determine that safety is compromised at a covered racetrack, HISA has the authority to place a vet at the racetrack, at the racetrack's expense,” she wrote. “HISA has compensated Regulatory and Association veterinarians to enforce HISA regulations. Those expenses are billed back to the racetrack.”

McGovern wrote that HISA “recognizes the national shortage of Equine veterinarians and has had internal discussions about programs to incentivize veterinary students to consider Equine medicine.”

She added, however, “those plans are longer term and do not address the immediate needs.”

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